I think of May 1 as the date junco pretty much have left eastern MA. They nest on the higher places in middle MA and many places in western (northwestern?) MA.
This is not absolute. Why people use "almost always". I had a junco singing at Coon Hollow in the Blue Hills around May 15th which stayed through early June (couldn't follow up) one year and have a few others.
I know they nest on Wachusett and likely Watatic also. They nest in the northern part of Worcester county. My go to May spot is the top of Mount Holyoke/Skinner State Park in Hadley. They nest at the top.
Mount Greylock has them in numbers. Historically Whtie-throated Sparrow (WTSP) would be from Jone's Nose and above with juncos higher and nesting spatially together. Since the 80;s WTSP has contracted its nesting upwards and now seem to only be at the very top only. With that happening, juncos have expanded to lower areas and are now encountered a few miles before Jone's Nose (driving up from Lanesborough visitors center).
Glenn
Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
> On 04/12/2025 5:23 PM EDT Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
>
>
> I've often looked for one on Birdathon day, and had to go very high to find one.
> I think they leave the day before just to be difficult!
>
> On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM Toby Sackton <tsackton...> mailto:<tsackton...> wrote:
>
> > It has always been my assumption that our local juncos leave early, and keep being replaced by those further south moving north...Cornell shows a winter range all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
> >
> > Toby Sackton
> >
> > On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> mailto:<frederickbouchard...> wrote:
> >
> > > every morning this week, i've announced:
> > > 'well, this is the last of the juncos...'
> > > now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow.
> > > fred
> > > --
> > > <frederickbouchard...> mailto:<frederickbouchard...> > > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Toby Sackton
> >
>
